Chandigarh, March 21 (IANS) Reiterating the firm commitment of the Punjab government to wipe out the scourge of drugs, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday said that under the ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’, a special focus has been to break the economic chain in the entire nexus.
In his address on the first day of the Budget Session of the Vidhan Sabha, the Governor said the Punjab government has intensified its fight against drug trafficking and organised crime through strategic initiatives like the extremely resolute and focussed launch of war against drugs.
He said a high-powered Cabinet sub-committee under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has been constituted to make this campaign a grand success.
Kataria said several properties of the drug traffickers have been demolished to send the message of firm conviction to completely eliminate the problem of drugs from Punjab.
The Governor said the Special Task Force (STF), which has been restructured and strengthened as the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), was established to enforce drug laws, rehabilitate victims and prevent substance abuse.
He said to educate people, 33,079 public awareness meetings were held statewide, and 19,523 Village Defence Committees (VDCs) were formed in just four months.
Kataria said the Special Intelligence and Technical Unit has also been set up to analyse drug-related data, communications, and financial transactions, significantly boosting its effectiveness.
The Governor said the Anti-Gangster Task Force and field units have made remarkable progress in combating organised crime, arresting 1,588 criminals, neutralising 13 gangsters, busting 571 criminal modules, and recovering 1,477 weapons and 327 vehicles used in crimes.
The Governor said the Punjab State Cyber Crime Division continues to combat cyber threats which include establishing 28 cyber police stations in Punjab, 24×7 social media monitoring, and initiatives like the Cyber Mittar chatbot.
Highlighting another achievement, he said the Punjab government has launched several groundbreaking schemes in the important sectors of health and education.
–IANS
vg/rad
